Re: 2003 F 90 valve adjustment
for a beginer ill tell you a secret but you have to promise not to tell.
easiest way to check the valves is to simply remove the cam cover,reinstall the cam sprockets if removed. some F motors you have to and some you dont and I cant remember which is which.
then bring #1 to TDC compression stroke, this can be observed by the intake vales closing and the TDC #1 mark lining up. check lash for intake and exhaust on #1.
repeat for cylinders 2,3 and 4.
remember 2 and 3 come up together and 1 and 4.
so the TDC marks for 1 and 4 are the same and the same for 2 and 3.
the difference is lining the TDC mark for the cylinder that just closed the intake valve.
if lash is ok your done.
clean all the silicone sealent from the gasket and cam cover corners and carefully inspect the cam cover gasket for nicks or cuts.
if not nicked or cut it can be reused.
if while checking lash you find one tight or loose note it on your work sheet.
note the spec and actual reading.
this will be used later.
after checking all 4 cylinders and shim pad change is required the fun begins.
yes the cams break easily if care is not taken.
I watched an instructor at Kennesaw break one
.
ok now were gonna take out the cams.
for a beginner this is what I reccomend.
carefully note which cam is which.
move the crank to #1 TDC compression stroke.
carefully note the cam sprocket mark orientation, you will need it at reassembly.
remove the cam sprokets without moving the cams or crank.
carefully make notes for the cam cap orientation.
they are marked but upside down.
they MUST go back in the same orientation.
the manual is gonna make a reference to loaded and unloaded caps.
I will make it more simple but slower.
carefully loosen ALL the cap bolts in pairs 1/4 turn at a time until ALL caps are loose.
reassemble the same way,1/4 at a time on ALL cap bolts.
Ill reitterate, loosen both top cam cap bolts 1/4 turn, then #2 then #3 and so on and so on, then go back to the top and do another 1/4 turn and repeat for the lower caps until ALL caps are loose.
my suggestion when removing cams is to trim the engine up about 15 to 20 degrees.
the oil film normally will hold the shims in place but a little gravity wont hurt.
now with the cams carefully laid aside use a good evaporative solvent like carb cleaner or brake cleaner or acetone and carefully clean the shims without removing them.
now mark the shims with a magic marker in order 1-8 ex and 1-8 intake.
this will aide incase a shim falls so you know where it goes
remove any out of spec shims, measure and do the math for the proper thickness of the replacement shim.
if your recorded lash was loose then a thicker pad will be required if tight a thinner pad.
install shims as required and start reassembling.
its actually not as hard as it looks.
when reinstalling the cams make sure the sprocket marks line up correctly BEFORE installing the cam caps.
this is an interference engine. if the cams are not installed correctly you can bend a valve or break a cam when tightening the caps.
magic markers are wonderful things.
once its all reassembled with the plugs still out carefully rotate the flywheel two turns, if it stops dont force it as you may have something off and a valve is contacing a piston.
if it rotates 2 turns and the TDC mark lines up and the sproket marks line up and the lash is now correct your done.
button it up and have a cool refresing beverage.
I can do it in just under 2 hours but I have seen one once and I stayed at a holiday inn.
